


The Danger In Your Eyes

by Le_Roi_Ecureuil



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alien Imprinting, Alternate Universe - Space, F/F, Faunus Are Aliens, Slight OOC, Yang Being Hopelessly Gay, wtf are these tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-17 23:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19965088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Le_Roi_Ecureuil/pseuds/Le_Roi_Ecureuil
Summary: Captain Xiao Long had one mission and one mission only: to retrieve the station's beloved rover: Zwei. The mission seemed simple enough when paired with her entirely capable team. But what waited for them on the other side? What of when their beliefs and technologies are contested and challenged? Maybe this wouldn't be so simple. **ON HIATUS**





	1. Chapter 1

Head buzzing, I rifled through the folders and papers that had been stacked high in my hands. Oxygen tanks were filled and ready to go. The ship was undergoing last minute maintenance checks, just to ensure what they already knew. They’d be taking off in the most advanced ship the program had managed to put together yet.

A hum rumbled in my chest as I set the stack down to further examine a document that outlined the ration system they set in place for my crew. I was about to set it back when a blur of red crashed into the table making a noise of obvious distress and sending the precious documents everywhere. 

My shoulders sunk and a sigh made its way past my lips. By far, I wasn’t the most organized person, that was obvious by the fact that the papers were loose and disorderly. Still, it wasn’t great to watch all my work scatter around the room.

As I stooped to scoop up armloads of graphs and charts, the door opened again and clipped steps drew nearer. The red blur, my beloved little sister, made more noises of distress and anguish, choosing to hide behind the table like it would come to life and save her in some way.

The petite woman drew up to her full height, which wasn’t necessarily impressive to begin with, and scolded, “Ruby, I already told you, you’re not sneaking cookies on the spaceship.” I cast the pair a sideways glance, kneeling down to tap my papers back into some form of stack. _This argument again_ , I thought tiredly.

Ruby knew how to be professional and handle herself in almost any emergency. It’s why I chose her for this expedition despite what biases there may have been with our familial ties. Still, she had a sweet tooth that couldn’t be denied or satiated and we simply didn’t have the time or energy to spend trying to figure out how to stash the extra treats on board. Not only did we have a time hack to make, but also a maximum storage capacity that I needed to keep within a certain quota. 

The silver eyed girl pouted and whined, “Weiss, I need them! The stuff they have on ship tastes horrible. Tell her, Yang!”

Though my heartstrings were thoroughly tugged, I couldn’t yield this ground. My head dropped and I said, “Sorry Rubes, but we can’t afford to have it on board. Much as I hate to say it, listen to Weiss.”

I didn’t have to look to know Weiss was smiling both triumphantly and smugly. She always meant well for Ruby, she had since we were all in high school. Weiss just had a certain way of doing, seeing and saying things that was difficult to agree with. “See, even this brute sees sense.”

“Hey, that’s Captain to you,” I complained somewhat indignantly, setting the forms back on the table and ushering Ruby out of my way so I could go over the FRAGO for our mission again. Since we had to push back our departure two months due to a leak in the gas tanks, we felt even more pressed for time than before. 

This may have been a simple retrieval, but we couldn’t risk wasting more time than necessary to try and spare the government from spending more money than it already had. I ran a hand through my thick, curly golden locks. 

Weiss didn’t mean to sound as snobby as she did when she fired back, “Don’t get a big head, Firecracker. Remember who held your precious hair back after prom night and every time since.” 

That was a bit of a low blow considering I didn’t even drink that often. Still, I winced and leaned back to smile at her. She had gotten me pretty good after all. There was a certain level of warmth and friendliness in her pale blue eyes, that I couldn’t find it in me to fight too much anyway. 

Ruby took my momentary distraction and chose to jump up on my back. Used to such antics from the pipsqueak, I grunted and leaned forward in a threat to roll her. She laughed, clinging tighter.

I turned my attention back to Weiss, a playful smirk on my lips. My voice started dry and teasing before settling into a low, serious rumble. “Thanks for that reminder, Weiss. Other than that, we should be ready to go tomorrow. How we feeling?” 

The answer for myself was uncertain. This was everything I’d ever wanted to do since starting my work with the Space Program. Still, there was so much that could go wrong and there weren’t enough charted courses and diagrams in the world that could account for it all. If this mission went belly up, that was on my back. We’d have to proceed carefully.

Weiss seemed to sense my indecision and did her best to distract me. Which wasn’t too hard when she threw me something.

Catching the small object, I recognized my cell phone which I must’ve left in the lunch room when I was rushed out by my favorite mathematicians. Well, they were usually my favorite, but at the time, I was just stressed by all the numbers getting thrown my way. Now, thinking about Phyrra and Jaune had my head hurting as they fussed over the coordinates and whether or not we had enough fuel for a round trip. 

Though she meant well, it didn’t necessarily help when Weiss said, “Yang, they’re sending us out to a mostly unknown planet that we’ve only investigated with rovers thus far. And we actually lost our rover to something outside of our current knowledge, which is why we’re going out in the first place.” 

She spoke correctly, the fact of it remaining on the verge of my subconscious. I recalled looking at the footage time and time again, obsessing over it. There wasn’t a lot of it, but what we did see left a lot of speculation to the whole unit.

“Let’s save Zwei from aliens, team!” Like Ruby’s favorite theory in that the rover was taken over by aliens. Not that it couldn’t be disproved. Personally, I believe that the alien theory was fairly supportable in the sense that what we managed to discover about the planet was very akin to Earth. The resources, water and atmosphere were all very similar. They’d have to touch down first, but it looked as though the air would be breathable. That would be a test and risk they’d need to be especially careful with.

Careful, careful, careful. It was so important, but it had never been Yang’s forte. Weiss was so much better with this stuff, which is why she was Yang’s second in command.

Her scolding tone interrupted her train of thought. She stood with her arms crossed and feet spread as she told Ruby, “You dolt! There’s no such thing as aliens!”

“Oh yeah, Ice Queen? Well, then what do you think took out our boy?” she decided to press, loving the way Weiss turned on her immediately. It was always fun to push the Ice Queen’s buttons and she needed a little fun right now. The result was enough to make her lip curl into a mischievous grin.

Weiss’ pale blue eyes burned with irritation, perfectly manicured hands curling into fists. “Maybe a stray meteor or a storm? You both saw the footage!” she hissed, eyes narrowing. 

She handed over pictures from the footage they had on hand, knowing exactly what was on it. It was just terribly boring that not everyone could agree that they had, in fact, caught something humanoid on the camera. “We saw the same blurry green images you did, you mean. We also saw that black blob right before connection was cut off. This planet is scary similar to what we’re used to, from what we can tell. Assuming that other life can survive and thrive in such conditions isn’t that far of a stretch.”

There was logic there, to some bare extent. The whole reason they were investigating this planet was to see if it could sustain human life without terraforming. However, if such things like aliens actually existed, who knew what sort of chaos and excitement would rule the world they called home. 

Still, Weiss came prepared, snatching the image from my hand and frowning sternly. “It was the camera failing and you know it. As soon as the rover touched down, the camera essentially fizzled out.” She was so adamant about ignoring the loving nickname we gave Zwei, even though both Ruby and I knew she cared just as much as we did. 

Shrugging, I waved down Coco who had been passing through. She lit up when I offered her the folder, taking it with a grateful tilt of the head. Too cool to exchange words, of course. Free at last, I rubbed my hands together, mischief already bubbling under my skin. Smiling wide, I shot back, “All I _know_ is that we’re going to go save Zwei! Right, Rubbles?”

“Right!”

She just sighed and shook her head, letting her crossed arms collapse back down to her sides. Her shoulders didn’t slump though, she’d never risk something as valuable as posture for the sake of exasperation. Her voice was crisp, but I sensed an underlying warmth that we didn’t often see. “You’re both complete buffoons, I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow.” 

With that, we waved and she went to go see to her remaining matters. Before I could even think about reaching for more work, she shooed me away with Ruby in tow. The two of us protesting slightly at being kicked from the work space so swiftly. 

Ruby flipped her hair, which was getting slightly too long. If she wasn’t trying to grow it out, I’d force her to get a haircut. Then again, she might try and guilt trip me into taking one with her which would be a nightmare and a half. As if I’d ever cut my beautiful hair. She guided us towards the entrance, talking animatedly the whole way.

That was just Ruby though, ever the little ball of energy. I responded to what I could, offering to buy her as many cookies as her heart desired when we got back to Earth. A dangerous promise, but if it prevented her from smuggling, all the better.

“What do you think we’re going to find out there?” she asked after we had gotten into the car. Seatbelt strapped and I gripped the wheel a little tighter as we pulled out of the parking lot. She was looking over at me hopefully. Sure, I had played into the belief of her alien theory, but there still wasn’t a whole lot of ground for the theory to stand on. 

The stress residing in my chest was mounting as time went on. Still, I couldn’t just break her heart. Instead, I flashed my little sister a toothy grin and promised, “I’m not sure, Ruby. But whatever it is, I’m pretty sure we’ll be more than capable of handling it.” For extra emphasis, I flexed an arm and she grinned back at me.

“So,” she mused thoughtfully, an underlying playfulness in her voice and mischief in bright silver eyes, “burgers in case it’s our last meal on Earth?” It was her way of asking without asking. 

She was turning the wheel towards where she knew she could get a good sandwich without a hassle. Still, she had to make it so that she sounded like she was putting up a fight. “Dammit Ruby! We’re not dying out there, but yes, we’ll get some burgers,” she sighed while switching lanes and sliding into the next exit ramp smoothly. 

There was no way that Ruby could fail to see the sign that displayed her favorite restaurant. “Five Guys! Hell yeah, Yang!” she exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air, eyes crinkled with delight by how wide her smile was. My stress was melting away slowly, there wasn’t any point in worrying over nothing. We rolled up within minutes and she was practically buzzing in her seat. 

Maybe this was what I needed, a chance to just unwind a touch before the mission. Forget if it’s just for a second. Let Ruby be as dramatic as she wants to be without any sort of reprimand in place. I sucked at that sort of thing anyway, it was more Weiss’ forte to be scathing and still somehow loving and appreciative. 

The cashier smiled brightly, ready and practiced as she took our orders. I didn’t miss how her eyes lingered slightly on my form, pretended not to be bothered by it and relayed what I wanted. I knew I was attractive, I’d have to be an idiot to play coy with that, but giving in when she was so obviously interested just had no appeal. Ruby ordered the animal style bacon burger. Along with her classic chocolate and strawberry milkshake and animal style fries. I settled for a more modest burger salad, trying to steer clear of carbs as I had been. The cravings were easier to deal with when you avoided going cold turkey. 

She bid us well and allowed us to go sit down after promising us she’d be more than willing to help if we had any troubles tonight. The waitress was equally playful when bringing us our food. Flashing glances and smiles, accustomed to flirting for a bigger tip. 

Ruby was still talking animatedly while eating, as was her custom. I still wasn’t quite sure where she stored all the food she put away, the pipsqueak she was. It was nice, being able to eat together like this. I couldn’t remember the last time it was just the two of us sitting down and relaxing, spitting shit and enjoying each other’s company.

I’d missed this one on one time more than I was willing to admit. But with Ruby and Weiss attached at the hip and all the recent stress that comes along with planning for the mission. And I made sure she knew it in every jab I aimed at her. In every warm smile and every half-hearted fry that was tossed in my direction. 

Alas, it ended too soon, food gone and only greasy platters remaining. We dusted off our hands on napkins and jeans before pitching the trash. 

Ruby grinned playfully, teasing me as she said, “All I’m saying is that if it really was our last day here on Earth, you totally should’ve gone for it.” Of course, she was referring to our overly friendly service. We’d been having this argument since we got our food off and on. My door closed on the driver side and I fastened my seatbelt, and shrugged over to her.

“Ruby, I think you don’t have a crazy amount of room to talk, unless you’re going over to Weiss’ house and fucking her senseless tonight. Plus, she wasn’t really my type,” I said passively, ignoring the obvious jab at me.

She seemed oddly fed up with the familiar answer that I had become accustomed to giving. “Ugh, you always say that. Do you even know what your type is, sis?” It was damn near accusatory in nature.

“Of course, I do,” I answered, just a touch too testy. Just because I hadn’t found someone who challenges me or interests me so far doesn’t mean anything. It was just that girls and boys alike, they just didn’t have anything interesting about them beyond a basic physical appeal. They were all just, people. Maybe I was going crazy or something.

Ruby crossed her arms in the corner of my vision, obviously not satisfied with that response either. I knew she wasn’t _mad_ , of course, but she just seemed unhappy in a way.

We drove home in relative silence; the only sound was the faint playing of the radio over the engine. Ruby didn’t seem anymore contented when we left the car and made our way into our apartment. So, I tried to phrase it into words as best I could when we got out of the car, “Well, it’s like-, I like it when a girl-! Kind of like… I know what my type is when I see it, Ruby. Everyone here, it’s just too easy, there’s not a whole lot of point in even trying and you know what? We have to wake up early tomorrow. Good night.”

“Right,” she drawled out slowly, “Sleep tight, Yang.” Then she left, leaving a faint cloud of roses and strawberries behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

The initial launch had gone well enough. I was fairly confident at that point that Jaune had thrown up all his anxiety in the trash can judging by what came through on our end amidst all of the cheering. Vomit Boy never failed to live up to his nickname after all.

I walked through the ship, making small mental notes of everything as I went. The doors reacted smoothly, all systems were online. As I went through, I began to wonder what I was even worried about in the first place. 

Just as I was to enter the control room, something jerked the ship and I braced against the wall. Turbulence wasn’t necessarily uncommon, but that felt too violent to be considered normal and it had been a couple weeks since we’d left Earth’s atmosphere. There hadn’t been any meteors floating around either. It was just a straight shot and we were meant to enter the planet’s atmosphere sometime later today.

Panic rose in her like a sink that wasn’t draining water fast enough. She tried to suppress it to the best of her ability, but it came up regardless, creating within her, a sense of dread. She began making her way to the control room, looking for answers. What I found was not exactly comforting as Ruby was staring horrified at the screen before her and Weiss was busy shouting something that was decidedly undignified. 

Another lurch had me reaching for the wall and my ears were ringing. There was some static filled shouting that I could just barely hear over it. A screeching alarm sounded off and red flashed in the control room, throwing off my vision and sending me into a brief feeling of nausea. I shook my head to regain my bearing and focus on what was before me. Ruby read off something on screen and what I heard next made my heart sink.

Weiss’ near panicked tone asked above the noise, “What do you mean our thrusters have stopped working?”

Ruby looked back at her, silver eyes wide, but focused still. There was clear irritation in the set of her mouth and she snapped, “I mean what I said! They were fine, but as soon as we got through the field, everything gave. We’re offline, none of our equipment is working properly!”

Offline. That meant we wouldn’t be able to contact base. We were on our own and our ship wasn’t working. I gripped the back of Ruby’s chair and my mind began to race as Ruby’s hands flew with practiced ease over the controls, slowly growing ever more frantic in their motions. Her jaw clenched and I began to think about different landing strategies we could utilize without the thrusters intact. We’d have to see if we could get the back-up generator going, at least for long enough to control the descent. I glanced out the glass, noting very roughly the distance we still had.

The fear in Ruby’s voice was incredibly subtle, but after caring for her for years, I picked up on it. It brought no small amount of pain to me when she asked, “Are we still going to be able to land?”

Forcing a confident smile that felt obvious and fake, I replied, “Of course, we’re going to land, don’t even worry about it, Ruby. Just listen up.” My brain whirred and thrummed with possibilities. Finally, I settled on one and edged myself to the hatch that led towards where I could find and power the back-up generator.

“Roger.” Relief and faith had never been more apparent in one word.

Weiss, ever the pessimist, took note of the flame beginning to wreath our nose and said, “Captain, we’re going in too hot, at this point we won’t be able to recover from the impact.”

Climbing out the door, I gave one final order that I knew they’d be able to catch onto. It was our favorite code red scenario to practice. “Let out the parachutes,” I demanded, slipping out and making my way as fast as I could manage without relinquishing control of the wall. Another tremor rocked me, but I tripped towards the door I needed anyway.

Gripping the rail, I knocked the door open and went through the procedures of starting up the hellish experience that was running the back-up generator. Namely speaking, biking like hell. My feet pedaled to start up the device, knowing that once it started, the stored power should grant us a somewhat safe landing. 

It was a practiced exercise and with adrenaline pumping through my entire body, it didn’t take too long before power began humming all around and the light overhead lit up dimly. I kept it up, leaning over the handle bars on the exercise bike and panting. Then, I heard more encouraging noises that the ship was beginning to function and slowed my pace until I was just resting on the bike. 

They had to have figured it out, I had faith. Faith that was swiftly dwindling when I nearly flew over the handlebars due to a great lurch. The alarms stopped going off, but the turbulence didn’t cease. Sliding off the bike, and when another dangerous quake knocked me from my feet, I began crawling back to the control room. 

I was precious feet away when I assumed they touched ground and was promptly sent flying into the room and back slamming into a control panel, stealing my breath and likely bruising something important. I let out a pained groan and grabbed my sides before rising to unsteady feet when everything stopped spinning. 

Vertigo had not entirely gone when I asked my crew, my friends, “Is everyone okay? Weiss, Ruby?”

“I’m good,” came from my right. I turned to see the two of them safely secured in their seats, seemingly un-traumatized from the impact.

While I, on the other hand, was busying myself by running around on a crashing ship like a chicken with my head cut off. 

Weiss pushed a stray lock of hair back into place and huffed when the motion proved futile before complaining, “We really need to work on your landing skills, _Captain_.” Still, her pale blue eyes scanned over me quickly, ensuring that I hadn’t taken any serious damage from my personal crash. 

Rolling my eyes, I flashed teeth in a bright grin, forcing myself to stand straighter. “Ice Queen’s fine then, let’s get ready to move out.” Teasing aside, I was glad that they were doing alright.

The indignant, holier-than-thou response didn’t even miss a beat, making my smile stretch wider. “Hey!” she said, unclipping herself and brushing herself clean of imaginary dust. She walked over and bumped our hips together before going past to observe the screens. 

Taking a chance since we still had some electricity running for now, I asked, “How’s the atmosphere looking, Weiss?”

For a short while, she was quiet, pensive. Then she decided, “Signs are pointing towards stable and we should be fine without helmets or suits, for short periods of time, at least. I don’t think we should risk it for longer than half an hour or so, despite what we’ve seen. In addition, there are unnaturally high levels of electric current, more so than we expected from what we’ve seen with our rover.” 

“Communications?” Hope burned in my heart, kindled by small victories.

Ruby’s voice was hesitant, but firm as she said, “Uhh… Yang, it looks like our circuits were scrambled when we broke into the planet’s atmosphere.”

We weren’t able to re-establish connection with the back-up generator then. I wondered how much damage was caused when we hit what I can only assume was a super-charged electric atmosphere. The thoughts of diagnostics had my brain whirring and I was reminded of the pain in my ribs and back. It wasn’t anything debilitating though, so long as it wasn’t severely aggravated.

“So, we’re completely down?”

Silver eyes, usually wide and excited, had narrowed with the severity of the situation. Her mouth quirked down into what was nearly a pout and she replied, “For the time being, I’m going to say, yes. But I think I can figure out how to re-establish contact pretty soon, I’ll have to take a look."

“Shit,” I swore tiredly, stretching back and resting one hand over my eyes. With the free one, I conducted my thoughts. “Alright, well, we’re going to have to figure that one out and fast, but we also need to track down Zwei and we have enough rations for a month’s stay and the trip back if we’re smart. Is that a sufficient time, Ruby?” It was another worst-case scenario estimate. This wasn’t the Martian and none of us were particularly good at cultivating our own food.

“No problem, sis.” Confidence, something I needed more of.

I flashed a grateful smile, turning to look at my second. “Alright, excellent. Weiss, you ready to come Zwei hunting?” The offer was meant to be light, but in reality, I knew I probably shouldn’t venture too far without some backup. If only for the fact that my ribs were likely bruised or worse and we weren’t familiar with this planet. Nights could get ridiculously cold, dark or something. Zwei hadn’t been active long enough to provide any legitimate information that could be of use. 

Those hopes were dashed when she said, “Actually, Yang, I think I’ll be staying with Ruby in case she needs a hand in repairs. Plus, we need someone on ship to start taking inventory of the resources we have and run tests based on the planet we’re on.”

She was right. Of course, she was right. Just having a rough estimate of what we had didn’t mean anything when we didn’t know what we were dealing with. There might even be something in the electric field that prevented us from fixing the ship. I tried to quash the thought, but it lingered quietly in the back of my mind.

Putting on a bravado I didn’t feel, I teased, “Scared, Weissy?”

“You wish, brute. Why, did you need someone to hold your hand to go find the rover?” She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms. Well, she had me there and I wasn’t about to let her get me to admit that I needed help. 

“No, I guess. But you know the rules, no unsupervised handholding just because I’m gone, got it?” I put up a warning finger, pointing first at Weiss, then Ruby. I was mostly kidding, but space can make people do crazy things.

“Yang, you’re gross.” Ruby pulled a face before turning her attention back to the computers and letting her fingers fly with the kind of speed that can only come from experience.

Weiss was a little more miffed, as she always was. “As if I would ever, the mission comes first!”

A sly grin crept onto my face and I shrugged before saying, “Well, I mean…. Never say never, Weiss.”

“Shut up, shut up right now and I’ll let you keep your fingers.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I held up both palms in a surrendering motion and heading towards the storage containment with our suits and oxygen tanks. The door was closing before I had enough control to shout out, “Leaving now, hands to yourselves, lovebirds.”

Though the resulting sigh had me chuckling again all the way to the bay. It wasn’t too bad, slipping on the suit and helmet like a second skin, and allowing just a moment before moving again. 

Mere moments had me outside the ship and had my breath catching in my throat. 

It was beautiful, no camera, even if it worked, would be able to do it justice. Lush forestry sprung up around in all kinds of vibrant colors. It all coordinated in some hauntingly disjointed way that was as chaotic as it was striking. 

I crossed the land, noting the familiar pressure and gravity that would accompany me on Earth. It was entrancing, my feet moving and I was close to a tree. My gloved hand rose and pressed against it. There was a certain give to it, giving an almost spongy feel. Weiss said it was alright to take off helmets here. Still, there was a certain hesitancy to do so. There was no way there wasn’t some catch to a place this beautiful. A place so seemingly untouched by the taint of man. 

I almost felt bad that I had come here at all. Like my mere presence was blotted ink on a masterpiece. But I still pressed on, taking careful note of my surroundings. It was just all still, not necessarily loud either, but not deathly silent. There was the sound of wind gusting, something like water running. 

We thought it was similar to Earth based on what little we did have. I disagreed. Compared to the run-down, torn apart world that had long been taken over by machines and towering buildings, this was a simple paradise. A large flower swayed in the breeze, each petal a blend that looked akin to the sunset. I was growing curious, an almost childlike smile growing on my visage. 

“Huh, it really is just like a forest,” I mused, stepping over a patch of mushrooms. In a place so colorful, spotting the black and grey metal shouldn’t be terribly difficult. “Alright, Zwei, where you hiding, buddy?”

Almost as though summoned by my words, the bushes began to tremble to my left. A dark nose poked from the undergrowth, followed by a mottled muzzle. A creature that was somewhat similar to a fox emerged from the bush, its pelt dark brown and spotted with black. It looked up at me with curious eyes and opened its maw to reveal two rows of perfectly white little teeth. They were pointed, but not fangs, more designed for tearing than shredding. “Whoa, what are you, little guy?” It let out some interesting chirring sounds that had me reaching out before I even realized it. 

It seemed to be just as curious, raising slightly on rear legs to stretch out towards my proffered hand. Just as I was about to touch it, another rustle sounded off nearby. It stiffened, whipped around and let out a horrified noise as some sort of spear shot out from the undergrowth and speared it below the neck near the chest. Green blood splattered from the wound, landing on the surrounding ground, becoming unidentifiable from the grass below foot. 

The creature’s death wasn’t quick, writhing on the ground and letting out noises of pain all while pouring out more life force.

“Holy shit!” I whispered to myself, fixated on the event. I almost didn’t notice the figures sliding from the bushes beside me.

They were all humanoid, nearly identical to humans. The shock of it had me reeling and taking several steps back. “Holy shit!” I repeated, voice raising in volume and panic. I managed to put my palms up in surrender when they pointed those spears in my direction. “Uhhh… I come in peace?” I offered a nervous smile before two approached. 

They grabbed for my hands, restricting my movement, silent all the while. It was unnerving and I didn’t dare fight back. I couldn’t risk them finding the ship and hurting Ruby or Weiss, plus, this was an opportunity. This was an alien race, Ruby was right.

Maybe I wasn’t fighting back because the shock had me frozen and my head was spinning too badly for anything else. I let them lead me, digging my heels a little bit and making a mental map in my head as well as I could the more we walked. I needed to be able to return to my ship, the separation in itself was jarring and dangerous. Anything could happen out here. This wasn’t Earth. All the rules that I was used to following didn’t apply anymore.

We pushed through the undergrowth, into a wide-open clearing where many more near humans were gathered. They were all different. Features just a little too sharp to be considered normal. Some had tails and an additional set of animal-like ears. I even saw some that had scales, fins, and some just looked like humans with more fierce features. They were beautiful in some haunting way I couldn’t describe. 

Not unlike the faeries or elves from Ruby’s old story books.

Hands went from her arms to her helmet and an immediate panic began to set in. I tried to stop them as they hunted and sought out the seals keeping me safe. There were too many though, holding down my hands without difficulty. “Hey, easy, easy, hands off the merchandise,” I warned, forcing my tone to be light. Despite my struggles, the seal broke and I choked on my own breath as my helmet was pulled off. The air was almost sweet, the way it settled in my lungs brought a peace I hadn’t known I’d been searching for. “Oh wow,” I breathed, body becoming still.

Still, I was surrounded by aliens, in a foreign place, away from my ship. What I didn’t expect was for them to let me go and begin looking at each other nervously. One separated herself from the rest. I had to assume she was a female. Her features softer, figure more slender and golden eyes burning straight into my fucking soul. Eyes sharp, angular and fixed on me with an intensity that had no name but I could feel it trying to crawl out of my chest.

A sensation ran through my body that had no name, no words to describe it. It set my nerves ablaze and I choked on a breath. All the while, I was locked on her, my entire view skewed until it settled with her in the center. 

I took a step back, a nervous smile on my lips. “Hi?” I greeted skittishly, still unsure what to do.

The woman, alien, slid closer almost effortlessly, moving like water. My face began to heat up when she entered my personal space. Another step and she was reaching up and cupping my face in hands that felt too smooth, if a little cold. Then lips were on mine and my brain promptly short circuited.

I couldn’t even think, responding automatically and she drew back with an interested gleam in those predator-like eyes. “What are you, exactly?”

“Wait, you can speak, English?”

The alien smiled, teeth were perfectly white. “We can assimilate speech from other language through lip contact. My question, then?”

_Teen Titans got it right after all_ , the thought ran sluggishly through my brain. “My name is Yang, I’m a human.”

“Human?”

I shook my head, mustering a little more confidence in myself and forcing a step of space between the two of us. “I come from a different planet than you, looking for something I’d lost,” I said carefully, keeping Ruby and Weiss out of her speech for now. My mouth quirked up before falling, a nervous habit. 

“Well, Yang the Human, we have questions for you and why you’ve come to our planet,” the beautiful alien woman said, reaching out and touching my shoulder before tracing the line of my suit and taking ahold of it. 

I gulped slightly, staring into those smoldering golden eyes and that wicked curl to her lips. Some distant part of me wanted to ask her name, but a greater part of me screamed that I knew her. Or that I was supposed to. It made my head hurt. 

“My first question is how you, one not of Faunus descent, got me to imprint on you,” came the low, somewhat monotonous rumble. 

_Imprint_ My mouth went dry and my cheeks heated up. “I’d be happy to answer any questions if you’d kindly let me go and help me find what I’m looking for,” I replied, trying for confidence. The way my voice jumped up a pitch or two wasn’t really helping that. 

The expression in those eyes darkened to something that made me think she had absolutely no intention of letting go ever. Images flashed behind my eyes. It was her, features softer, no cat ears, reading on a couch before glancing up over the book with warmth in her eyes. Another followed of her attached to my arm, laughing at something as we walked through the snow. Her wearing an oversized jersey with purple and yellow paint on her cheeks. Her in an apron, tending to something on the stove that had my mouth watering. 

Maybe I wouldn’t mind if she didn’t.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not going to lie, this story was originally just for a challenge I'd been given. Just something quick to put together in my free time, but I'd like to make something more out of it, get more research in and see what it could turn into. So look out for that in the future, but until then, enjoy the "last" chapter.

My heart was racing and I allowed her to lead me away. She traded words in her native tongue, or what I assumed was her native tongue, with those around her. They replied in kind, moving on ahead of us and disappearing into the brush. 

The alien girl cast me a sideways glance and I felt a blush creeping across my cheeks just from that. Unaccustomed to feeling such a way around a girl, I found myself unable to hold her gaze, surprised when cool fingers gripped my hand and pulled me to one side sharply, drawing a startled yelp from my chest. She let a seemingly amused sound and when I looked, she smiled back at me, all teeth and mischief. I was struck again with that strange sense of familiarity and that warmth flooding through me all the way down to the tips of my fingertips. Before I knew it, I was smiling too and we broke through the forestry to a wide clearing, not unlike the main one for her camp. Only, instead of huts and self-made homes, there was a very familiar hunk of metal resting on a patch of grass. He had a battle wound, looking as though he’d been speared as well.

“Yeah, that’s him, that’s Zwei!” I exclaimed, excited and rushing forward. The alien woman still holding tight to my hand and as I fell to my knees, she crouched beside me. Only when I reached did she relinquish my hand so I could pull the rover towards me and look him over for additional damage. 

Ruby would have to take another look, but from what I could tell, he would be functional again one day, preferably when off this planet. My thumb ran affectionately over where we had painted his name in small, neat print on the side. 

The alien spoke again, closer to me than I thought she was. I was a little more than surprised that I didn’t immediately jump when her voice murmured in my ear, “You wish to take this object back with you?”

I hummed an affirmative, tugging him close before rising with a grunt. Maybe the gravity was a touch lighter here, because while Zwei was still heavy, it was bearable to hold. I couldn’t keep a victorious smile off my features.

“And then?” she pressed, drawing my attention away from the rover in my arms. Her cat ears had folded back, expression notably softer, warmer. Her hands kept to herself, though I could see her body angled to assist should the need arise.

“What do you mean?” I asked, tilting my head and hefting Zwei onto my hip so I wouldn’t wear myself out standing still. I should really already be heading back to the ship while I still remembered the way. Still, looking at the Faunus had taken over my priorities, like I was being drawn in by a siren’s song. 

“What will you do after you take this Zwei back with you?” she clarified, shifting and grabbing at her spear, an almost nervous habit. It was endearing in a way, the motion not feeling necessarily threatening despite common sense telling me otherwise.

I smiled apologetically, setting Zwei down as this seemed it would take a trite longer than I’d initially believed. Thinking of how I could best let her down so I could go, I said, “Well, I imagine that I’ll go as to not further intrude on you and your people.”

“That’s not acceptable unless you were to take me along with you.” 

_Wait, what_? The words bounced around wildly in my skull before spilling past my lips, unbidden. “Wait, what?”

She tilted her head at me, hand falling and she swept it back to where her friends had disappeared. “It is the way of our people, when you imprint on another, your souls are bonded. It is only just that you should never be apart, in life and in death.” Her smoky voice burned in me, but her words were so simple, so matter of fact. 

“Uhhh…” I gaped, unable to come up with some immediate negation to let her down gently. “I’m sorry, you seem very nice and definitely some things I can’t explain and you are most certainly my type, but I’m not sure that taking you back to a whole different planet would be a good idea,” I said, rambling more than anything. My mind going at a million miles a second, thinking about what Ruby would say, Weiss. I leave for one day and come back with an alien woman.

I could see the exchange now. 

_Weiss staring in blatant disbelief before shaking her head vehemently. “Yang, I’ve clearly gone insane, as have the both of you. As soon as we return home, I’ll be admitting all three of us to an insane asylum.”_

_“Wow, I told you it was aliens! Does she speak English? Wait, is she a she? What’s her name?” Ruby grinning maniacally, an oil smear on her cheek and bright sliver eyes wide and shining with curiosity. She’d be practically floating, fussing and inspecting the alien woman_.

It didn’t stop an amused smile from curling my lips just from the sheer audacity of it all.

“Then stay here with the Faunus,” the noirette offered, closing what was an unacceptable distance apparently and tilting her head up to look at me. I was now close enough to pick out the flecks of amber and brown in her honeyed gaze and cleared my throat softly. 

“I can’t do that either,” I said, feeling bad when her ears drooped and her lip quivered slightly. Instinctively, my hands rose to rest on her arms, trying to offer some sort of comfort. 

The pain in her voice couldn’t be denied, not when I could feel it in my soul. She looked into my eyes, utterly wounded and asked, “Why not?”

“Well, I have to go back, I have to take Zwei back. And I have people I care about back on my planet,” I replied, trying to sound as reasonable and sympathetic as I could. I didn’t know anything about their people, about her, about anything on this planet, really. Guilt shot up through my veins like it was injected into my bloodstream and my mouth twisted uncomfortably.

“Another mate?” A hint of anger in her eyes, steel in her voice.

Immediate panic rose up in me. “No!” I shouted, flinching when she did and drawing back before mumbling, “It’s just, my little sister still needs me and my dad!”

This didn’t make sense, none of it did. My head was swimming with the sheer ridiculousness of it all and I didn’t know how to handle any of this situation. Was this how it felt to be infatuated with somebody? No, I scolded my brain. This was an alien planet, for all I knew, they were planning to kill me. 

God, I needed to get back to my ship. I rubbed the back of my neck, standing staggered and feeling bad. The air was as sweet as ever and I distantly thought about how they took my helmet.

“You seem lovely, all of you, but I don’t belong here, my kind wouldn’t do well living here. We would end up taking over the planet and destroying all of this beauty,” I said apologetically, hands moving to take both of hers, mouth upturned into a frown.

Her eyes blew wide. “You would hurt Menagerie?” Disbelief. Why was this so hard? Why was this hurting so much? I grit my teeth, feeling hopelessly lost and unable to properly communicate. 

“No, not me. I wouldn’t dream of hurting your planet, I think it’s amazing.” That wasn’t a lie either. From what little I’ve seen, I couldn’t imagine this planet, Menagerie any other way. Even thinking back to Earth, I suppressed a shudder to what I’d have to go back to. I didn’t want to stay, too many responsibilities and whatnot, but I saw the potential. It would just be incredibly difficult to adjust to a whole way of living and was I really giving this thought?

“Then why not return? Would your sister or dad harm Menagerie?” Right, this Dust-damn beautiful alien woman that I saw in my mind, that I couldn’t convince myself was an absolute and total stranger to me. She closed the distance entirely, pressing her hands to the top of my chest and setting my cheeks freshly ablaze. Her complexion was a little flustered as well, passion in her gaze. She was willing to fight for this.

Why was I fighting against it? 

“Well… no, but they have their lives back home too. You can’t just uproot someone from their world and expect them to adjust to something completely new,” I tried explaining, forcing logic and trying to force just a little bit of distance, just a little bit of room so I could actually think, breathe. She would close off every attempt, a new kind of fire kindling in her eyes.

The suggestion caught me off-guard and I couldn’t believe my ears. “What if I could adjust?”

“What?”

“I said, what if I could adjust? You fear that I wouldn’t fare well on your planet because I wouldn’t be able to adjust, the same way that you wouldn’t be able to bring your kin here. But I can promise that as your mate, I could adjust by your side far better than surviving here without you.”

“I don’t even know what to call you,” I protested lightly when her hand climbed to rest on my cheek, cooling the skin there significantly.

“Well, you may call me Blake,” she replied, almost teasing, like that was something that should’ve been obvious. Something familiar sparked in me and I was leaning in just a little too much. A Cheshire smile being my only tethering to what should be my logic.

Leaning back, I dropped my hands to her waist. Why are you doing this to me, brain, I lamented silently.

“That’s not my point, I don’t even know you!”

And there came the argument that I’d been doing my best to ignore this entire time. “But you do, you’ve seen it. Different lives where we’ve been together, bound by fate to collide in each and every life. In all those lives, we’ve been for each other, I ask for that again. My people will understand, my sire will approve.” It shouldn’t have been so hot, she shouldn’t have been so hot. She shouldn’t be able to send electricity and fire straight into my bloodstream.

Fuck if she wasn’t exactly my type. 

I stopped fighting and my hands slid behind her so that I was the one pulling her into me. I could feel her muscles flexing and coiling under my fingers and heard what sounded like a pleased purr before I was kissing her like my life depended on it. 

Our lips slid together feverishly and I forgot that this was a different planet, forgot our when, our what. It was just me and Blake, lost in each other, and that was right. In every life that we lived through, we lived through it together. Finding each other and reliving this one singular moment every single time. 

It wasn’t even surprising when I felt it all. A life where we grew up to be warriors, students or honest folk. Lives where she was a novelist and I was a boxer. 

I pulled back, out of breath and looked into her golden eyes and I saw every single universe that we’d lived in together. Each and every time we collided, sometimes by accident, sometimes intervention. 

Then I was being tugged into another kiss, hands knotted in my hair and normally I’d kill someone for the thought, but it was different with her. This one was just as hungry as the first, well, second, but I couldn’t think enough for it to make a difference. 

When I was finally able to conjure enough cognitive ability, I pulled away and detangled myself from her, panting.

The smirk that she wore shouldn’t have fit her so well. The way she crossed her arms, settled on one leg and tilted her head ever so slightly making me regret leaving. “You are still hesitant?” There was no way that should’ve been a question, but it was and it made my head hurt. It would be so simple, to just have her. I needed to, I could feel it.

“I just need time,” I said. Time to find a way to explain why I was bringing an alien back to Earth with us. 

We didn’t even have the ship fixed yet.

“So long as it brings us together, I’ll grant you the time you need.” She blinked slowly, affectionately, a distinctly cat-like motion that had me biting my cheek. 

“Thank you.”

“Of course, I only request to stay alongside you to ensure you do not leave before making your decision,” she stated, leaving no room for argument in the slightest. I looked behind her and around me, we were completely alone. I had no idea where her fellow Faunus had gone off to, but perhaps that was for the best.

Only a touch of hesitation colored my tone when I cracked my knuckles on one hand finger by finger and replied, “That’s fine, only you, correct?”

“Correct,” came the confirmation, a level of excitement making honeyed gold shine as bright as the sun. 

“Alright, let’s go back to my ship then,” I relented, turning to head back the way we’d come. Looking back, I saw her following closely and when I offered my hand, there was no hesitation before she took it.


End file.
